It makes me sad that people outside get such a slanted view of the US. Remember, the people you see on TV and the people who can afford to travel abroad are the wealthy. Our news is horribly biased and slanted and really just propaganda thought control to keep things working in favor of the wealthy. Most Americans are not wealthy by our standards. If you don't believe me look at the statistics for people who are going hungry IN THE US! The unemployment rate is a lie. It only counts people who collect unemployment. So if someone doesn't collect or they have run out of time on it, they are not counted. I've seen reports of some areas (especially around Detroit and in the midwest) having 60% or more unemployment. Basically, every kid in the town who doesn't get into a university through a scholarship, joins the military. They just don't have other options (especially if they want to start and support a family) Our government is corrupt beyond repair. Our educational system is a joke. We get shit for benefits, no retirement (many people in the US work till the day they die because social security is simply to little to live from) we usually get 1 week a year of paid vacation. Many jobs don't allow overtime and have very little opportunity for advancement. Most employers treat there employees like trash, and force them into unfair agreements because so many people are looking for work. This country is full of immigrant workers, who will work for far less than it takes to sustain a life here. Because when they go home to latin america they can live like kings with that amount of money. (nothing against them, just stating the facts from my own experience) The working class here has to compete with them for jobs. All of the good manufacturing jobs have gone oversees because of free trade.
The rich get richer and the rest of us work like slaves to help them. I think in the years to come you will see a growing exodus from the US. Things are going to get much worse here, because of corruption and greed running everything.
But the people here are great. They work hard and play hard. They deserve to be respected. But with corrupt media, government and corporations it is very difficult to change anything and that is all the rest of the world sees of us.
On November 16 2010 09:33 hizBALLIN wrote: I guess that's convenient because it allows you to ignore the flagrantly malicious speculation of the late Twenties.
You realize that not a single respectable economist thinks that the Great Depression was the result of anything but a massively incompetent handling of a run-of-the-mill consumer confidence shift by the Federal Reserve, resulting in a 33% shrinkage in the money supply over 3 years, right?
The only role the speculative bubble played in the Depression was the role of the ignition switch.
UN ??? there's a saying in hebrew "um shmum " um means the UN the combination produces a slang that is known for their unproductive efficiency !! i say a waste of money .
i can give specific examples from the lebanon border if u guys want when i served there for the highly efficiency actions of the UN if anyone bothers .... but just dont tell me they help at something cause they dont at least not in keeping the peace in lebanon
On November 16 2010 10:39 Reborn8u wrote: It makes me sad that people outside get such a slanted view of the US. Remember, the people you see on TV and the people who can afford to travel abroad are the wealthy. Our news is horribly biased and slanted and really just propaganda thought control to keep things working in favor of the wealthy. Most Americans are not wealthy by our standards. If you don't believe me look at the statistics for people who are going hungry IN THE US! The unemployment rate is a lie. It only counts people who collect unemployment. So if someone doesn't collect or they have run out of time on it, they are not counted. I've seen reports of some areas (especially around Detroit and in the midwest) having 60% or more unemployment. Basically, every kid in the town who doesn't get into a university through a scholarship, joins the military. They just don't have other options (especially if they want to start and support a family) Our government is corrupt beyond repair. Our educational system is a joke. We get shit for benefits, no retirement (many people in the US work till the day they die because social security is simply to little to live from) we usually get 1 week a year of paid vacation. Many jobs don't allow overtime and have very little opportunity for advancement. Most employers treat there employees like trash, and force them into unfair agreements because so many people are looking for work. This country is full of immigrant workers, who will work for far less than it takes to sustain a life here. Because when they go home to latin america they can live like kings with that amount of money. (nothing against them, just stating the facts from my own experience) The working class here has to compete with them for jobs. All of the good manufacturing jobs have gone oversees because of free trade.
The rich get richer and the rest of us work like slaves to help them. I think in the years to come you will see a growing exodus from the US. Things are going to get much worse here, because of corruption and greed running everything.
But the people here are great. They work hard and play hard. They deserve to be respected. But with corrupt media, government and corporations it is very difficult to change anything and that is all the rest of the world sees of us.
Chill dude. The thread agrees with you- the op asks for opinions on american politics. Many will agree that Americans themselves are fine, if a bit overboard on religion and crappy education.
On November 16 2010 19:56 xylos wrote: well german politics are even worse, don't know should I laugh or cry when I see the green party getting like 20% in some parts of the country
laugh because you are happy or tears of joy, either way, 20% is great news, but it will rise. shameful isn't it? afterall there is fish in our rivers again and air pollution related illness is reducing. Somebody has to stop this before we all get healthy.
People vote Party X+(A). Party X rules but people are not happy with them. People vote Party Y+(B). Party Y rules but people are not happy with them. People vote Party Z+(C). Party Z rules but people are not happy with them People vote Party X+(A) agian. . .
I really think the german system (and for that also the austrian and tons of others) are bad. They aren't that diffrent from the US one, just labeled "smarter" .
Video part 2 excerpt: "Think back to the first war against Hussein, in 1990. The Americans had stationed the giant army there, it was daddy Bush who had deployed them, on January 17th 1991 the war had begun. Precision bombing, over the course of four weeks. Nowadays the Americans can, with surgical precision, - they can, with surgical precision, from 5km height - they can't build machines that count ballots properly - but they can, with surgical precision, from 5km height, drop those UNO forbidden fragmentation bombs that avoid all the civilians in that area. Well, if some idiot decides to jump to the side, there's nothing you can do about that."
A phenomenal German cabaret artist, you will miss out on a lot of harsh cynical wordplays if you need to rely on the translation (which is also inaccurate here and there), but you'll get the idea. I can't speak for many, but the people I know (upper end of the intellectual scale if I may put it like this) pretty much think like this. (Political) America is perceived (well, the facts do speak for themselves) as an aggressor who doesn't give a shit about human rights, peace, democracy, preserving an environment that is habitable for humans, or anything else. What counts is power, money, and... power.
How most french people view US politics? For the French US politicians are either a bunch of crazy religious extremists or plotting for the supremacy of the US "empire" through business.
How I view it? About the same level as here. Too many populists/extremists/crazy people dictate the agenda, the moderates are barely heard.
I do find some things a bit weird, like the results of the last elections or some arguments on health care ("we have the best system in the world!"). But since we have a corrupt racist incomptent government we can't really say anything.
On November 16 2010 19:56 xylos wrote: well german politics are even worse, don't know should I laugh or cry when I see the green party getting like 20% in some parts of the country
laugh because you are happy or tears of joy, either way, 20% is great news, but it will rise. shameful isn't it? afterall there is fish in our rivers again and air pollution related illness is reducing. Somebody has to stop this before we all get healthy.
no, tears because I'm sad or laugh because it is so ridiculous, the green are so clueless it's not even funny
at the swiss guy, sure you are right, but I don't vote for the retarded swiss SP or grüne, only parties here that are acceptable are SVP/FDP
but both, the german and the swiss greens are retarded, I mean seriously, banning cars that use more than 10l/100km, cutting the speed limit to 120 in germany, trying to ban guns from private people, shutting down the atomic plants.....
xylos wrote:but both, the german and the swiss greens are retarded, I mean seriously, banning cars that use more than 10l/100km, cutting the speed limit to 120 in germany, trying to ban guns from private people, shutting down the atomic plants.....
Yea, it's terrible how they want to keep the country clean and make it independent of fossil fuels which are the, may I say fuel - of many wars. I mean where would we be if none of us had any reason to battle for resources because of the overall abundance thereof? And the clean air is also horrible. May I suggest to you moving to Shanghai? I heard they don't give a shit about air quality there. Or Чернобыль (Chernobyl). Heard the rent is cheap there.
I don't say we shouldn't care for our environment, but the green parties here do it in the most retarded way possible, we can't just shut down our nuclear plants and hope for something better, atm there is no better, cleaner way to produce electricity than from nuclear fisson
same goes with the other things they demand, they are just plain retarded, it's just populism and the hope that some poor losers and hippies will vote for them
another thing is that most green parties are very left-winged, more taxation for the rich, pro multikulti, against stricter immigration laws, for stricter gun laws and and and, thats the other reason why I don't vote them
You should consider checking your facts before posting. The majority of people who vote for green parties are neither poor nor hippies. In fact they are basically the exact opposite, meaning ex-conservative, educated and with a high income.
But lets not get facts in the way of our thinking, they only distract.
well maybe it's like that in your country, but for sure thats not true for Switzerland and how can you talk about facts but are not able to bring up any sources? fail more pls
I wont really spend any time searching for a source for switzerland. the country is just too small/unimportant to invest that amount of time. The general trend will be most likely the same. If you can bring up a credible source that says otherwise let me see it, otherwise lets get back to orginal topic.
EPT
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